Cellular fabric



I06. COMPOSITIONS,

COATING OR PLASTIC.

described in my patent aforesaid empl y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE B. HINTON, OF MEXICO, MEXICO CELLULAR FABRIC Ho Drawing. Application filed January 10, 1929. Serial No. 831,715.

The invention relates to a novel product hydraulic cement, of which 84% will pass in the form of a cellular fabric comprising a through a 200 mesh screen, it has been found bod of adherent bubbles each havin a thin possible to produce the cellular fabric having r1 enveIo e of set E draulic cement the a specific gravity of 0.5, employing 45% by fimfiiimw fifimuniweight of water, and a similar fabric having form size, or bubbles of different sizes in a gravity of 0.3 using 60% of water. It has which the larger bubbles are surrounded by been found that cement of this texture is so and substantially encased or enveloped by coarse that only about 60% or 70% of it rebubbles of smaller size, the fabric in its acts to the flotation oil and the remainder, in o broader aspects being the product of the the form of sand-like grains of cement method disclosed in my prior Patent No. clinker, is merely carried along with the fine 1,657,? 16, dated January 31, 1928. As set material in the process. In other words, forth in the patent aforesaid, the method profrom to of the cement is relatively duces a cementitious material of cellular inert and is not affected by the water. In structure which is produced by agitating and using the method with more finely and more aerating a mixture of hydraulic cement and uniformly ground cements, as stated, the prowater, to which is added a relatively small portion of water to form a grout may be very quantity of a frothing flotation reagent, the largely increased and it has been found that, aeration of the mixture being brought about when working with Ferrocrete, which is a by breaking up air forced into the mixture hydraulic cement of such fineness that 98.05% into bubbles which are uniformly distributed will pass a 200 mesh screen, anywhere from throughout the mixture and which, because 60% to 90% of water, by weight, may be emof the presence of the flotation reagent, take ployed in makin up the grout and will proon a sheath or envelope of cement, the cement duce a very excefient cellular fabric having a coated bubbles eventually rising to the top predetermined specific gravity. of the mixture and collecting to form a froth It has also been found that certain addiof mutually adherent bubbles, which may be tions of cheaper material to the grout may cast into molds or formed into the desired be made, which will reduce the cost and at the shapes by other means, so that the final prodsame time add valuable properties to the not is in the form of a fabric of cellular strucproduct, but, in such case, the added material ture in which the unit cells are mutually admust be supplemented or accompanied with herent shells of set hydraulic cement. an additional and characteristic quantity of The patent aforesaid, while covering the Water. For example, in order to make alight method or process broadly, exemplifies the Welght product in which each 100 pounds of application of the same with hydraulic cethe mixture consisting of 70% Ferrocrete, ments of relatively low grades of fineness inf raw mm, 5% of lime. an 0% 0 dicating within certain stated limits the prom, We would have portions of water and cement in the grout employed, and it has been found that with the finer grades of cement, more particularly those which have been ground to such a degree of fineness that as high as 98% will pass through a 200 mesh screen, the proportions of water used may be largely increased, so that the specific gravity of the ultimate product may be varied within relatively wide limits without impairing the inherent strength of the product.

For example, in practicing the method as Pounds water 70 lbs. Ferrocrete require 90% water equal to 63 20 lbs. raw m1x requlre 90% water equal to 18 0 lbs. lime require 200% water equal to 10 5 lbs. kleselg'uhr require 300% water equal to 15 Total w r 106 This exemplary grout mixture, when aerated froth of fifie consistency, which will ultimately set up into a rigid mass consisting solely of mutually adherent shells formed by hydraulic cement associated with the other elements.

.and a 'tated in the resence of a small quaniity of a flotation rea ent. will produce a smaller cement coated bubbles, so that the fabric may be identified as unicellular, bicellular or multicellular, depending upon the size and characters of the bubbles or cells.

As described in my patent aforesaid and in the application referred to, the preliminary grout of cement and water is preferably prepared by mixing the predetermined weights of cement and water, the latter preferably having been saturated with cement, so that the resultant grout will consist of the cement with or without additional material suspended and evenly distributed throughout the water and in the best possible condition to be acted upon by the flotation medium or reagent, which latter may be of any of the particular forms mentioned in the patent aforesaid, but which. for very effective results, is preferably a saturated solution of thiocarbanalid in orthotoluidine, plus colloidal rosin, the amount of the first ingredient being 0.2% and of the latter 0.75% of a 5% solution of the weight of the hydraulic cement employed in the grout or pulp. This seems to form an ideal combination, in that the flotation reagent involves not only the necessary frothing action, when agitated, but alSO exercises a collecting reaction in respect of the cement.

As a concrete example of the preliminary mixture of hydraulic cement grout and the flotation reagent. a charge consisting of 10 kilos of standard cement with the requisite quantity of water 0 0 liters) would require 75 cc. of a 0 0 solution of colloidal rosin 20 cc. of the orthotoluidine and thiocarbanalid mixturembe app l8( cs rer 500 grams of fine sawdust moistened with 2.0 liters of wateme sawdust being optional and. in some cases, indicating a decided beneficial result in the ultimate product.

The grout with the addition of the flotation reagent is thoroughly mixed to homogenize the same, the mixing being effected in a suitable apparatus. as. for example, the mixing buckets described in my application aforesaid. If it is desired to produce a bicellular fabric. the homogenized mixture of grout and flotation reagent is fed continuously into a preliminary aerating machine or creamer, such as described in the application aforesaid, to which the requisite air is supplied and the air with the grout mixture beaten up into a froth of cream-like consistency comprising very fine bubbles, which cream isafed to the frother where it is supplied with amadditional component of air, which is subdivided into relatively lar e bubbles and distributed, by the agitating evices in the frother, uniformly throughout the mixture, so that there is formed within the body of the mixture a mass of relatively large bubbles surrounded by the relatively small bubbles formed in the creamer, the spumous mass which is ultimately discharged by one of the outlets provided for the purpose and delivered to the molds or other devices by means of which the spumous mass is given its ultimate form.

In making a unicellular fabric, in which the cells or bubbles are of substantially uniform size, the admixture of the grout with the flotation reagent is delivered to the frother, which is supplied with air in relatively thin streams, the air being subdivided into bubbles of the desired size, which latter is determinable largely by the speed of operation of the cutter device usually employed with the frother, and the bubbles uniformly distributed throughout the body of cement pulp by the mixing devices. so that the ultimate product in the form of a froth or spumous mass of cement coated bubbles of substantially uniform size, is discharged from the frother and delivered to the molds or other forming devices as hereinbefore indicated.

Instead of producing the spumous mass of relatively small bubbles in the creamer and passing the same into the frother and admixing large bubbles of air therewith in the frother, it will be apparent that the same product may be formed by first making a froth of relatively small bubbles, then a second froth of relatively large bubbles and uniformly mixing the two sizes of bubbles, so that the smaller bubbles will surround and practically encase the larger bubbles.

iVhat I claim is:

1. A cellular fabric comprising a body of adherent bubbles, each having a rigid envelope of set hydraulic cement the walls of the individual envelopes being of substantially uniform thickness.

2. A cellular fabric comprising a body of adherent bubbles, each having a thin rigid envelope of set hydraulic cement.

3. A cellular fabric comprising a spumous mass of mutually adherent shells of set hydraulic cement the walls of the individual shells being of substantially uniform thickness.

4. A cellular fabric comprising a rigid spumous mass of mutually adherent shells of set hydraulic cement of iarge and small s ze, the large size shells being surrounded by those of smaller size.

In testimony whereof I aflix mv signature.

GEORGE B. HINTON. 

